New Zealand leaves monitoring Chinese warships to Australia

Friday, 28 February 2025

From left - People’s Liberation Army-Navy Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu, and Renhai-class cruiser Zunyi.

New Zealand will no longer be monitoring the Chinese warships sailing the Australian coast, as they track west through the Great Australian Bight.

Defence Minister Judith Collins confirmed to The Post that the New Zealand Defence Force would not longer be tracking the warships, which conducted live fire exercises in the Tasman Sea last Friday and Saturday.

She said she was satisfied with Defence’s work, despite criticism across the Tasman about the time taken by New Zealand to notify Australian counterparts of an unfolding live fire exercise.

“My understanding is that everything's been done according to the way it's supposed to be done, and certainly we've been working very closely with the Australians,” she said.

Defence Minister Judith Collins in a file photo from when she appeared before the Estimates Vote Defence Select Committee.

“What I think has been unfortunate, really, is that we could have had more notice given by the PLA Navy of the intention to live fire, because, as we know around I think it was about 49 aircraft had to be diverted because of that late notice. So that was a bit of a challenge.”

The New Zealand Navy had been monitoring the task group of three Chinese warships from the frigate HMNZS Te Kaha, supported by the tanker HMNZS Aotearoa, and from the air by P-8A Poseidon surveillance planes.

Te Kaha witnessed a live fire exercise.

Australia’s Defence Chief David Johnston told a senate estimates hearing on Wednesday that his military received no direct warning of the exercise from the Chinese Navy, and it took until 40 minutes after it had started for them to be informed via aviation authorities.

A Virgin airlines pilot had heard a warning issued by the Chinese warships over a radio channel monitored only by aircraft.

Australia’s Defence Chief David Johnston told a senate estimates hearing on Wednesday that his military received no direct warning from China.

According to Johnston, it was another 50 minutes before notification of this came to the Australia Defence Force from Te Kaha.

This surprised Australia Opposition politicians. “Shouldn’t it be a lot quicker than that?” said Liberal senator James Paterson.

Collins, speaking on Friday, said the New Zealand Navy was “primarily focused on the safety of the other civilian aircraft and any other civilian ships”.

Asked if that meant Te Kaha was also broadcasting a warning at the time, Collins said Defence would have to provide such details. The Defence Force has so far provided limited information about the sequence of events.

“They will always look at these situations and say, 'Is there something we could do better?'

“But as far as I'm concerned, the main thing is that these live fire activities were legal under international law. But the big focus for Te Kaha … was around the civilian aircraft and boats.”

Collins said the Chinese warship were now 300 nautical miles west of Tasmania, and the navy had “other jobs to do”.

HMNZS Te Kaha would now motor to the Middle East, where it was headed before diverting for the Chinese warships. The ship, its 179 crew and its Seasprite helicopter will be in the Arabian Gulf for six months, joining a multi-national taskforce disrupting terrorist and criminal activities.

HMNZS Aotearoa would now prepare for another deployment, Collins said, but she would not specify the nature of this.

The air force’s P-8A Poseidon aircraft would no longer monitor the task group either, as Australia flies the same planes out of an Adelaide base, nearer the location of the Chinese ships.